Having surpassed their $2 million stretch goal, Obsidian Entertainment has posted a new update on their Project Eternity Kickstarter revealing a $2.3 million stretch goal for the already-funded RPG. In this Josh Sawyer explains how if they hit that mark they will include three gameplay modes that will create a greater challenge for hardcore fans, who would be able to choose any or all of Expert Mode (disabling ease of use elements), Trial of Iron (permadeath like Diablo Hardcore mode or Temple of Elemental Evil's Ironman Mode), and Path of the Damned (with customizable enemy levels like Icewind Dale's Heart of Fury mode). They would also add "Godlike" races, saying: "These folks have been described previously as being similar to the humanoid 'planetouched' in D&D: aasimar, tieflings, and genasi." Thanks nin.

You put it perfectly why I will not buy that nor why I even call that a real RPG. If i wanted brain-dead NPC's as my companion choice (like in unmodded IWD1) I would play.. gasp, IWD1 or IWD2 without mods.

A good RPG has companions that are part of the story, that act based on your actions, that have their own agenda. If you replace that with brain-dead human controlled robots it becomes a terrible mess and a pointless waste of time.

As long as there'll be a vote about that you will never see COOP in Project Eternity. Too many people have thankfully a clue that this would destroy the entire point of a SP Hardcore RPG.

Well ive pledged. Like a few other hardcore people, I grew up on a diet of DnD box set, memorising ADnD 2nd ed experience tables. Getting enough XP in EOB to see if the Paladin really did get spells at level 9 (they fecking didnt code that in you know).

BG2 was great and although coop wasnt the best it was still ok and good fun with friends. Didnt like IWD but planescape is still one of my fav games. NWN was the last decent RPG for me My coterie was still stuck in 2nd ed mode when that came out. We swapped to 3rd ed after that. Multiplayer was fantastic, it worked and we had great fun.

Fallout deserves a special place in my heart, I remember downloading the rules and running a few pen and paper games too!

Shame this wont have coop or MP but hey ho, i'll take anthing if it plays well.

Its not the cough that carries you off but the coffin they carry you off in.

Creston wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 23:52:You kind of have to take it on good faith that they're actually putting these options (or extra quests etc) in there. Then again, if the community makes three stretch goals each promising an extra race and companion and class, and then in the final game there are a grand total of four companions, races and classes, people are probably going to go "Errr... so your original game only had ONE of each??"

I doubt an experienced dev would try to screw its fanbase like that for a few hundred K.

As for the Mac/Linux ports, quite a few of them do say that "we're making the PC version first, and the ports will come later."

And then there's been a few cases where the developers have missed a stretch goal and then turned around and went "you know, we're going to put this in the game anyway". (The new Carmageddon game had this happen, for instance, but that had more of a feel of a glorified preorder than most.)

HorrorScope wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 21:57:I know we are all hoping for the best. But with these goals, additional goals you do wonder when they start to bite off more then they can choose. Many of these games are promising PC/Mac/Linux, time, time and more time. Then they put out options, if you do this you'll get more game options. Like how do we know they would have been in or not? And if not, that is more time. Hope most of these kickstarters work out, some great ideas no doubt. But it is somewhat questionable all of these things.

You kind of have to take it on good faith that they're actually putting these options (or extra quests etc) in there. Then again, if the community makes three stretch goals each promising an extra race and companion and class, and then in the final game there are a grand total of four companions, races and classes, people are probably going to go "Errr... so your original game only had ONE of each??"

I doubt an experienced dev would try to screw its fanbase like that for a few hundred K.

As for the Mac/Linux ports, quite a few of them do say that "we're making the PC version first, and the ports will come later."

Deathhead wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 15:06:It does say that the expected delivery date is April 2014 on the kickstarter page

It does, but anytime the goal is vastly exceeded and additional goals get tacked on, it can push that back a bit.

Yeah, April 2014 was for the original game. They've since added quite a few goals, and if they add an entire region with quests etc, it would not surprise me if this is easily 2+ years out, making it... gulp... 2015.

Creston

I know we are all hoping for the best. But with these goals, additional goals you do wonder when they start to bite off more then they can choose. Many of these games are promising PC/Mac/Linux, time, time and more time. Then they put out options, if you do this you'll get more game options. Like how do we know they would have been in or not? And if not, that is more time. Hope most of these kickstarters work out, some great ideas no doubt. But it is somewhat questionable all of these things.

Experienced developers know how to scope out their projects. They know how much time and money content and features will cost and plan accordingly. I'm not really worried about Obsidian being able to meet their promises. If this were some new or unknown developer, however, I'd be much more concerned.

Fair enough, but in general how many others who aren't as experienced do the same things.

Creston wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 21:11:Yeah, April 2014 was for the original game. They've since added quite a few goals, and if they add an entire region with quests etc, it would not surprise me if this is easily 2+ years out, making it... gulp... 2015.

Well hopefully they'll hire some more folks with the extra money to still get this done in 2014!

Deathhead wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 15:06:It does say that the expected delivery date is April 2014 on the kickstarter page

It does, but anytime the goal is vastly exceeded and additional goals get tacked on, it can push that back a bit.

Yeah, April 2014 was for the original game. They've since added quite a few goals, and if they add an entire region with quests etc, it would not surprise me if this is easily 2+ years out, making it... gulp... 2015.

Creston

I know we are all hoping for the best. But with these goals, additional goals you do wonder when they start to bite off more then they can choose. Many of these games are promising PC/Mac/Linux, time, time and more time. Then they put out options, if you do this you'll get more game options. Like how do we know they would have been in or not? And if not, that is more time. Hope most of these kickstarters work out, some great ideas no doubt. But it is somewhat questionable all of these things.

Experienced developers know how to scope out their projects. They know how much time and money content and features will cost and plan accordingly. I'm not really worried about Obsidian being able to meet their promises. If this were some new or unknown developer, however, I'd be much more concerned.

Deathhead wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 15:06:It does say that the expected delivery date is April 2014 on the kickstarter page

It does, but anytime the goal is vastly exceeded and additional goals get tacked on, it can push that back a bit.

Yeah, April 2014 was for the original game. They've since added quite a few goals, and if they add an entire region with quests etc, it would not surprise me if this is easily 2+ years out, making it... gulp... 2015.

Creston

I know we are all hoping for the best. But with these goals, additional goals you do wonder when they start to bite off more then they can choose. Many of these games are promising PC/Mac/Linux, time, time and more time. Then they put out options, if you do this you'll get more game options. Like how do we know they would have been in or not? And if not, that is more time. Hope most of these kickstarters work out, some great ideas no doubt. But it is somewhat questionable all of these things.

Tumbler wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 16:25:Seems like they're scrambling to come up with stretch goals. Guys, they passed the 2.0m mark, what do we do now? Game Modes! We'll, dammit they passed that, uh uh...wallpaper, airbrushed wallpaper, ok that bought us a little ti- PASSED, alright then high res stones on the paths. We're going to build the best looking paths this world has eve- passed, shit, well ok then, in game karaok- passed, mother fucker, ok dragon- passed, you didn't even let me finish!, ok fine, roofs, we're going to make a dozen different roof types for your hou- passed. Jesus people, how much money are you going ot give us? We budgeted for 1.5, what are we going to do with all this money!?

Hahahaha.

"What are we going to do with all this money? Wait... wait... I know, hookers! PASSED TOO? WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO FIND ENOUGH HOOKERS FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU?!"

Deathhead wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 15:06:It does say that the expected delivery date is April 2014 on the kickstarter page

It does, but anytime the goal is vastly exceeded and additional goals get tacked on, it can push that back a bit.

Yeah, April 2014 was for the original game. They've since added quite a few goals, and if they add an entire region with quests etc, it would not surprise me if this is easily 2+ years out, making it... gulp... 2015.

Bradley wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 18:00:A game editor for something with this kind of graphical style would be a real challenge. The maps looks seamlessly "hand drawn" as one large image. Trying to match the art style would be far out of scope for most people using the editor. I'd love it if they found a way to pull it off using some kind of drag and drop gallery of preassembled pieces though. Not going to hold my breath though.

Could start bringing back some of the classic folk from the BG/BG2 days, there were a few that did draw hand maps for mods, not many. But it was an earlier era and all that. I was part of a mod team that was heavily involved in building a lich mod for BG2. Whether or not it ever got released after I did my part(core lich spells, rebirth redesign as well as quest components) I have no idea, I was pretty burned out by that point and pretty much cut myself off from the team, especially the fucking whining and mass egotism. Though there was some really cool people especially the sprite artist, man the girl who was doing the sprites for the transformation stuff...she did amazing work.

Well anyway, there's a lot more people out there now and a lot more people who've got time and skill honed over the years. We'll just have to see.

The Half Elf wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 19:40:I have to ask, what have they been doing for the last 2 years since New Vegas DLC?

I'm guessing:Dungeon Siege 3 and their South Park game, oh and their TBA'd Wheel of Time game.

--"For every human problem, there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong." --H.L. Mencken

Bradley wrote on Sep 26, 2012, 18:00:A game editor for something with this kind of graphical style would be a real challenge. The maps looks seamlessly "hand drawn" as one large image. Trying to match the art style would be far out of scope for most people using the editor. I'd love it if they found a way to pull it off using some kind of drag and drop gallery of preassembled pieces though. Not going to hold my breath though.

Might not be practical for the average person, but the option could be made available for skilled designers, or at least have tools to create new content within the existing game world, to allow those without a dedicated art team to create their own adventures in the Eternity setting...

A game editor for something with this kind of graphical style would be a real challenge. The maps looks seamlessly "hand drawn" as one large image. Trying to match the art style would be far out of scope for most people using the editor. I'd love it if they found a way to pull it off using some kind of drag and drop gallery of preassembled pieces though. Not going to hold my breath though.